


Bear Trap

by mytholizzie



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: CS AU, Eventual Smut, F/M, PWP, camping trip, david is emma's brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-11 10:45:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15313785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mytholizzie/pseuds/mytholizzie
Summary: Killian and Emma are on a camping trip with the rest of the gang, and unbeknownst to them, there are bears in the woods. During a particularly eerie rendition of the campfire ghost stories, Emma decides to let Killian in on a ‘secret’. Based on a prompt I found on tumblr.





	1. Chapter 1

The camping trip was a highlight of Emma's during each season, the last one had had to be postponed due to Mary Margaret having some complications during the tail-end of her first trimester. She had spent the previous night with her stomach in knots, butterflies trying to escape, at the thought of Killian joining this camping trip. Emma had internally warred with herself, debating on whether it would be _this_ time that she would give herself over to him, no questions asked. The blonde had planned to in the past but, in true Storybrooke style, there was always something that prevented it from happening.

Emma tossed her modest backpack under the tarped covering and piled into the truck, sitting too close to each other that their thighs rubbed together, setting their senses alight as the denim of their jeans caused even more friction once the truck rolled into action, bumping and springing along the uneven road surfaces. As her brother narrowly rounded bends and did his best to avoid potholes in the roads, Emma and Killian found themselves being jostled against each other; at one point, David had misjudged the severity of one of the bends and the truck had slipped on some of the asphalt, sending Emma careening into Killian's chest. His hand instinctively moved around her shoulder to protect her from any impending impact - her hand had grazed over an area she hadn't intentionally supposed to and the rest of the journey was spent in silence, trying to shuffle further away from each other.

At the campsite, Emma had pitched her tent and gotten her belongings inside, including her battery-powered fairy lights; for some reason, she thought _they_ were essential but, did not think to bring shampoo or conditioner with her for the trip. Stretching out as she straightened, hands on her lower back, in a fashion similar to how Mary Margaret carried herself with the extra weight she was carting around, Emma noticed Killian was having trouble pitching his own tent, single-handedly. The blonde swallowed and huffed a little, she couldn't leave him to figure it out himself - so, she wandered over to him and took an observatory seat on a nearby trunk, partly rotted away, due to the ebbing current that passed beneath it.

"Need a hand...?" She posed her question after several moments watching the pirate struggling with hammers, hooks and the tarp. She realized what she'd asked him and couldn't help but smirk at herself.

"I see you're taking much glee in my struggling endeavors, love." He responded, not looking back at her, even without looking at her, he knew that she was smirking and probably chewing on her lower to prevent herself from chortling out loud. He cleared his throat before he softly replied to her previous question, "But, yes, I'd like that, Swan."

The duo worked in tandem to pitch his tent, spending the time together without any conversation. The silence was not as awkward as Emma had anticipated it would be, the lack of conversation between them was actually somewhat refreshing. She felt safe being around him, knowing that she could help him and he didn't feel too proud that she needed to certain things for him. Months prior to the trip, she knew he would be putting on a facade in front of the remaining team in Storybrooke, in order to impress her and win her over, while maintaining his reputation for being the cad he was.

Killian nodded his thanks, scratching that usual spot behind his elven ears, as his cheeks colored with a rose blush and Emma stood to walk away. He caught her wrist with his free hand and turned her, "You're not going to ask me to kiss you again, are you?" She gave him a swift warning look, that came across too harsh she later realized since he released her wrist and turned his gaze to the ground.

"That, I believe, was a one-time thing, love." Killian used her own words against her, smirking at his aptitude to be as canny as he was displaying. He looked down to the arm that was cradled in the sling, Blue had done a pretty decent job of sorting out his injury without causing him too much pain or too many dents to his ego.

Emma floundered for a brief moment before she shook her head and scoffed, "It _was_ a one-time thing..."

"Then why do I sense there's something between us, love?"

"The only thing that is between us, is this good, solid meter of air." Emma announced, after taking a step back, putting more than an arm's length of space between them, to maintain her personal space. She knew Killian was right, of course, but, she would never admit it to him, at the cost of never hearing the end of how right he had been. Regular Killian was bad enough, she didn't need sarcastic, egotistical Killian on top of that. _Or her_.

She immediately shook that thought from her mind and was, once again, about to step away from him when she heard, "When I win you over, Emma, it'll be the greatest conquest I'll have ever had the opportunity to have strived towards." She thought he would have stopped at that, so she began to walk away when he continued, "I know you like me, Swan, the sooner you admit that the easier it'll be for us both. But, I'm a patient man and I do like a challenge."

Following a swim around the lake they had set up their camp near, a swift shower (one she kept her eyes open for, checking that her pirate wasn't spying on her) and re-dressing in a set of comfortable sleep shorts, a tank and an oversized sweater, coupled with knee socks and boots, Emma joined the others around the flickering embers of the campfire that David had graciously (and gratefully) started up while the others had been changing. Emma noted that Mary Margaret was taking the spot beside David and there was an empty spot on a fallen trunk, beside Killian that he gestured to with raised, hopeful brows. Emma exhaled slowly as she crossed the clearing to take the spot next to the dark-haired beau.

"So, we packed some corn, meatloaf, chili..." Mary Margaret rolled off a list of supplies she and David had brought along for the three-day trip before she looked expectantly across to Killian and Emma, "What did you both bring?"

The two glanced between each other and turned back to Mary Margaret with gawky chuckles, "Well, I brought the rum, love. But, might not kick the kinds of cravings you might have..." Killian offered, "I don't know about her..." He thumbed in Emma's direction before he turned his head to her, "What about you, Swan? Did you bring anything for us to share?"

"I hate you." She muttered through gritted teeth, "No, but I spotted a convenience store about a mile back from the campsite, I can take the truck and stock up on a few things if you want?" She shrugged, hoping her brother wouldn't be too mad that she had forgotten to bring anything with her.

After a brief moment of consideration - it looked like he was going to blow a gasket, David tossed Emma the keys with a smirk and called out, "Make sure you fill 'er up, too, sis."

"With Swan heading back out to the store, allow me to get dinner started up for us, I thi--" Killian was cut off when Emma yanked him up from the log bench by the back of his sling and leather jacket.

"Oh no, you're coming with me, I need an extra hand to help me with the cans."

"Again, with the hand jokes, Swan. I'm beginning to think you despise me..."

"Just get in the truck, Killian." She hissed and exhaled harshly, slamming the passenger door behind him, rounding the hood to clamber into the drivers' seat. The blonde waited a few moments as she settled into the seat and sighed, she glanced to him for a moment before focusing on the distant pattern her denim jeans provided across her lap, "I don't despise you, Killian." She admitted, "I just..." Emma trailed off, sighing as she turned her focus to the trees at her side of the car, "Sometimes, you can be this annoying, little shit. And then, other times, you're this perfect gentleman, I don't ever see the balance between those, and that pisses me off."

"Oh." He exhaled, sending hot breath whooshing out through his teeth, as he listened to what she had to say about his character. It stung to know that that's how she viewed him, he wasn't like that, it was all an act, a facade he'd inherited from his days on the docks.

"Yeah, I just think, if you showed a little more compassion and cared less about trying to win me over, I'd like you a little more." She turned to him now, fixing her stare on him.

After dinner, the two couples settled on playing a few rounds of poker until it became too dark to read the cards, and Mary Margaret complained about there being too many mosquitoes and other bugs around to concentrate on the game. David went ahead and lit the few lamp burners and the citronella candles that Emma had picked up at the convenience store - a good purchase, according to David. Her brother spoke up after the cards had been tossed aside, "So, does anybody know any scary stories? No campfire is complete without a few ghost stories or urban legends."

"I know of one, I read about it on one of those online forums on Reddit." Killian piped up after nobody volunteered, "It supposedly happened up in Montana or Colorado, or somewhere like that."

"Okay, let's hear it..." David offered, extending his hand as if motioning for Killian to take to a metaphorical stage.

"You have to promise me that none of you are going to get too scared when I tell this. Mary Margaret, as brave as your Prince Charming is, I know he scares easily, at the best of times..." Killian smirked, tossing a playful wink to David.

"I'm sure we'll all be fine to listen, Killian. Even this little one..." She turned her focus to her protruding baby bump, rounding her hand over the smooth plain of her growing abdomen.

"...it was as the girl was changing into her pajamas, that the bloody, great bear encroached on the campsite, tearing through her tent, sending her lover flying through the air, into the lake. It turned on her, teeth glinting in the moonlight, fur standing to attention at the nape of its neck." Killian reeled off the gruesome details, his story-telling skills had improved since the last time they had all taken a camping trip together. His flowery language was something he was proud of.

Emma's face had paled, if there was something she had always feared when going camping, it had been the bears. She knew they could do a lot of damage, and knew that by camping in forests where bears were known to happen upon campsites, she was not taking the story too lightly. At one of the natural breaks in Killian's storytelling, she stood and gave a nervous chuckle, "I'm actually getting pretty sleepy, I'm going to head to sleep. You guys finish the story, let me know how it ends in the morning. Night..." Emma tried to scoot away too quickly, and ended up tripping over but regained her composure and gave an overly enthusiastic thumbs-up to show she was okay.

She listened to the tail-end of the story, hearing how Killian regaled her brother and his wife with the gruesome details of the bear attack and how the remains were found, what happened to the bear and the rest of the campers on the camping trip that had been targeted by the bears. She felt nauseous, not entirely sure how she was going to get herself to sleep, with those thoughts in her mind. When the chatter and laughter had died out, and she was certain that the others had also retired to their tents, she unzipped her tent to check on the surroundings, ensuring there was no impending danger lurking around the campsite they'd set up.

Around the back of her tent, she heard movement and a scratching sound. The blonde felt her stomach dropping, her pulse raced and she knew her pupils had dilated, adrenaline was coursing through her body on high-alert. When she heard the scratching again, she paused, hand poised over the zipper of her tent, not daring to move. As the consistent scratch moved closer to the mouth of her sleeping quarters, Emma shrunk back slightly, lips trembling as she leaned further into the tent, awaiting whatever was lurking for her outside.

When Killian's tousseled mane appeared in her eyeline, she exhaled harshly, "Trust it to be you!" She hissed, reaching to tug the zipper across the tent mouth, and close herself in for the night; Killian's hand stopped her motion and he shook his head.

"Love, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed a little disturbed by the whole bear tale."

"Bears are my biggest fear..." She blurted out without even realizing.

"Wait, they are?" Killian quirked his brows, "And, there I was, telling my godforsaken urban legend, and didn't even bloody realize you were probably petrified for the entire time. I'm sorry, love. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Again, without thinking, Emma was spewing what she thought would solve all of her problems, "I don't feel comfortable in here on my own. Will you stay with me, for tonight?" She questioned him lightly, shuffling further back into her tent, "It'd make me feel safer if you stayed." She offered a gentle smile, tilting her head as a gesture for him to enter the tent with her.


	2. Chapter 2

“I may or may not have lied and told you I was scared of bears just so you could sleep in the same tent as me…” She gave a shrug, a slight wince across her face as she screwed up her nose, the sleeping bag she had pulled around her shoulders had fallen away, leaving her chest slightly exposed to his gaze. Typically, she would have felt self-conscious, but there was just something about her brother’s friend that made her feel at ease–

Oh God, her brother’s friend! David was going to blow his shit when he found out that Killian had spent the night in her tent. She could feel her face turning beet as she thought about that situation unfolding. Emma was certain that Killian would probably feel the brunt of that awkwardness. Emma just didn’t know what would happen exactly, though she had a fair idea of how things would unfold.

“So, you’re not actually scared of bears, then, love?” Killian cocked his head to the side slightly, his eyebrows creasing and furrowing, as if they had a mind of their own, which Emma was sure, they did. However, when he saw her slight wince, he gave a chortle, “I’ll take that as a no… You know you could’ve just asked me to slip into your sleeping thingy if you really wanted me here…”

Okay, now he was just pushing it - that damn smirk he had etched across his face was pure sinful. It was then she realized what he was smirking about; the damn sleeping bag -thingy, had he called it?- had fallen away from her body, exposing her chest almost completely to him.

“Jeez! Stop it!” She hissed, grasping at the now chilled sleeping bag, pulling it up around herself to conserve some of her modesty.

“That’s not what you were telling me to last night, love.”

Again, that same shit-eating smirk. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and it was not helping her figure out the whole situation. Emma shook her head and glared at him, “Just turn around while I get dressed, if David happens upon me like this, with you here and that-that look on your face, there won’t be any more midnight escapades for either of us!” Emma was hissing and huffing as she pulled out the pajamas she had been wearing and tugged them up her legs, and over her head.

Killian propelled himself forwards from the position he had since taken; knees bent under himself, leaning back on his haunches, resting on the heels of his feet. He trapped Emma between himself and the floor of the tent, smirking down at her, “Love, we’re not getting caught. Your brother’s none the wiser. Let’s be honest, the lad’s too wrapped up in the little prince or princess Mary Margaret’s about to have.”

Gazing up at Killian, Emma swallowed lightly, allowing for a tender moment to pass between them before she huffed and shoved at his shoulders, as she began to sit herself up, “You’ve obviously never seen David when he gets angry…”

As Killian rested back on his knees, watching as Emma tugged her pants up the final stretch of her thighs and around her pelvis, he chortled, “No love, because I’m his best mate, he wouldn’t ever dream of being angry with me. Maybe you should take a leaf from my book, see if it works for sibling-related misunderstandings.”

Emma physically rolled her eyes at his comment; he was so cocky and sure of himself, and yet, that was something she found she liked about him. In the past, Emma had had her fair share of assholes, most of them were too cocky and arrogant, and had only ever cared about their own needs and not hers but, Killian was a different kind of cocky - deep down, she knew he was a good guy and it was all a façade, to help him along with his image.

Breaking from her reverie, she noticed Killian was still muttering on about how long he’d known David or something, she shook her head and flung his T-shirt at him, tossing a swift, “Hurry up and get yourself dressed, wouldn’t want you to catch a death…” - really, she just wants to be tempted to repeat the previous night, she knew they didn’t have time for that, people would be waking up soon.

As she shuffled through the tent, unraveling herself from the sleeping bag, and crawling past Killian who aptly gave her a quick tap at her behind, however, when she turned and glared at him, he got the message - he gave a curt nod and tossed his shirt on over his head, pulling the fabric down his chest, leaving Emma slightly breathless.

Too late. Damnit!

David was already awake and had gotten a fire started, ready to make up some breakfast and Mary Margaret was resting on a nearby campfire log bench. Luckily, Emma had only peeked her head through the zipper opening, and neither David nor Mary Margaret had spotted her. Pulling her head back into the tent, she groaned a little before turning to Killian.

“Too late, he’s up…”

“Love, you can say that agai– Ow!” He winced and jerked his arm away from her, “You were talking about your brother, received. I deserved that.”

Another glare from Emma and Killian was frowning, trying to think of a way to get out of the pickle they had gotten into. The pair weren’t sure what to do until Emma finally decided on just ‘going with it’. She told Killian to stay inside the tent, and keep ‘goddamn quiet’ while she snuck out as if nothing had happened and would distract her brother and sister-in-law, driving them away from the area.

“It sounds like a good plan, love but, it’s breakfast time, the most important meal of the day. You don’t think Dave is going to wonder where I am if I’m not in my tent when he tries to wake me?”

Emma gaped as she watched Killian incredulously, she was frozen in disbelief. She hadn't thought about the consequences when she had basically dragged him to her tent in the middle of the night, claiming to be scared of bears and that the story had given her the creeps. She, by rule, was not a gal who thought first, acted second - she really needed to be more cautious in her life instead of plodding through haphazardly but, where was the fun in that?

"I don't know, I guess I could leave first, distract them and you could sneak out and appear from around the back of your tent, like you were taking a pee, or something?"

"Love, I don't know what you're so afraid of, if I'm honest. I'm pretty certain your brother likes me, and he'd be okay with us hanging out--"

"Hanging out, sure but _hanging_ out..." She turned her gaze down to his crotch and blushed, rolling her eyes in any direction to stop the flush from further developing in her cheeks, "No, he won't be okay with that."

"So, you leave first, love?"

"Yeah, I'm going to grab some coffee, or something. Just creep out in a few minutes, I'll give a totally obvious signal, like a massive sneezing fit or coughing attack."

"Love?" Killian smiled, grasping at Emma's lower arm.

"What?" She glanced back at him, slightly alarmed that her eyes would wander and catch sight of his obvious morning wood.

"I enjoyed last night. Keeping you 'safe' was the highlight of my trip so far."

"Well, don't get too used to it, I'm not going to make a habit out of it, just so you know." Emma nodded curtly, released her arm and ducked out of the opening of the tent, to join her brother and his heavily pregnant wife, for breakfast and a much needed, much earned coffee.


End file.
